Copperheads complete comeback
Thanks to one collosal comeback, the Coaldale Copperheads are moving on in the Heritage Junior Hockey League playoffs.
The Copperheads knocked off the Okotoks Bisons 6-4 during Game 7 of the team’s Southern Division semifinal series in Okotoks.
With the win, the Copperheads not only win the best-of-seven series 4-3, they do so having come back from a 3-0 series deficit and will now face the Cochrane Generals in the South Division final.
The Copperheads forced Game 7 with a 5-2 win over the Bisons Saturday night at the Coaldale Sportsplex.
On Sunday, the teams skated to a 2-2 tie after the first before the Copperheads scored the lone goal of the second for a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
Coaldale scored twice in the opening 8:29 of the third to pad their lead to 5-2 on their way to the win.
Austin Huculak and Tyler Anderson scored for Coaldale in the first and Logan McKay scored with 10 seconds left in the second for a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
Jayden Smith, Matthew Nadeau and Levi Anderson rounded out the scoring for Coaldale in the third.
Copperheads goaltender Dillan Kelly was busy, stopping 45 of 49 shots he faced.
Anderson and Nadeau each added an assist for two points, while Sam Paskuski added two assists.
On Saturday night in Coaldale, the Copperheads scored four goals in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit after the first as Calvin Swanson, Brendon Benson, Graham Dugdale and Ryan Swier scored for Coaldale.
Paskuski added the other Copperhead goal in the third as Kelly made 31 saves in the win.
After falling behind 3-0 to the Bisons — with overtime losses in Games 2 and 3 — the Copperheads stayed alive with a 5-4 overtime win on Tuesday and won Game 5 5-2 Friday in Okotoks to cut Bisons
series lead to 3-2.
The Generals were first in the Southern Division with a 33-4-1 record and swept the Banff Academy Bears 4-0 in the other Southern Division semfinal.
In the North Division final the first-ranked Mountainview Colts will take on the Red Deer Vipers.